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But it seems that driverless cars may in fact be the latest cause of tension for motorists, after it emerged that two out of six crashes with self-driving cars in California involved humans attacking them.

In one incident, a self-driving Chevrolet, operated by General Motors' Cruise driverless car division, was waiting at a traffic light for pedestrians to cross in San Francisco.

According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the robotic car's mere presence prompted a man to run across the street "against the 'do not walk' symbol, shouting, and [to strike] the left side of the Cruise AV's rear bumper and hatch with his entire body".

A self driving car projectCredit:
Christian Jungeblodt

The unusual episode did not cause any injuries, but the car "sustained some damage to the left rear light", the DMV's report found.

The second incident, a robotic car with a human driving was stopped behind a taxi in San Francisco when the cab driver "exited his vehicle, approached the Cruise AV, and slapped the front passenger window, causing a scratch," according to a DMV report seen by the LA Times.

It comes as the state announced new regulations which will allow robot cars with specific permits to be driven on public roads without a human driver on board from April 2.